Blood on the moon: 2011 Lunar Eclipse takes Oz

The moon is seen during a lunar eclipse in Bucharest February 21, 2008 Photo: REUTERS

The lunar eclipse today may have already meant bad tidings for grounded Australian airport shut-ins

Ash from the Chilean volcano could turn the lunar eclipse blood-red in The Land Down Under, according to Australian scientists.

The volcanic ash that has delayed hundreds of flights across Australia will provide midnight moon-watchers with an extraordinary view of the eclipse.

Usually, dust and ash in the air turns lunar eclipses a copper color, but because of the excess of ash in the atmosphere over Australia due to Chile's Puyehue volcano, the moon is expected to shine bright red.

A popular superstition in both Australia and the United States holds that blood on the moon is a bad omen.

For the thousands of airline passengers grounded by the Chilean volcano, it seems the bad luck has already struck.